SMAW or Stick Welding is typically used for steel and iron, but it’s possible to weld stainless steel, aluminum and copper as well. It is called “Stick Welding” because the electrode used during welding comes out in the shape of a stick. Stick welding use electricity to melt the stick (aka electrode) which melts both the electrode and joint while also filling the joint with filler metal.
*Stick welding tip:
It’s better to use stick welding for outdoor welding projects because of the wind resistant design of the electrodes. Stick welders are also relatively inexpensive and is considered one of the easier welding methods to learn which is why it’s one of the first places that welders go when they first start.
Video credits to Weldnotes.com it’s a great explanation to the concept of stick welding.
Average Stick Welder Current
The majority of stick welders use AC/DC or AC current (this depends entirely on the electrode used). They are designed to function on the basis finishing an electrical circuit. Electricity leaps between both the electrode and the material being welded which heats up the surface and melts the electrode in place.
The majority of farm or camp projects require a 225 volt AC unit. The amperage of the unit is adjusted using a dial on the machine and is usually set according to the levels needed for the job, metal, atmosphere, and electrode. It’s typically very easy to produce AC power but you’ll find that many welding shops prefer to use DC because of the steady flow of electrons it provides which usually results in a crisper finished product.
Stick welding machines are all made up of the same parts:
Ground Clamp: This is the lead that grounds the connection made between the metal and the welder, which finishes the circuit.
Leads: These are conductor cables that are made to send electricity to the material that’s being welded.
Rod Stinger/ Holder: The rod holder holds the welding rod that melts under the arc of electricity, which makes the weld.
Electrodes: These are covered in flux coating and vary in diameter. The flux typically burns as the rod proceeds to melt, which both makes carbon dioxide and consumes oxygen, keeping the base metal from burning while welding.
Electrodes typically have a variety of types and sizes and are made for the job they will be used for. The common types for steel welding are 6013, 6010, and 6011. The first couple of numbers on the welding rod talk about the tensile strength per square inch or psi. The third number on the rod indicates the welding position that the rod can be used. For example, 1 means that the welding rod can be used in any position while 2 means that it can only be used in the flat and horizontal positions. The last 2 numbers put together discuss the kind of flux, which affects the slag or corrosion that will build up around the weld. Any weld that involves a high voltage of electricity and metals should be considered to be dangerous. Luckily, if you’re cautious enough it will continue to be safe. Above all other things, remember to wear your personal protection gear and you will remain safe.
Also make sure that the area you’re welding in is properly ventilated so that you don’t breathe in the gases created from welding. If you can’t maintain proper ventilation, make sure to purchase a respirator.
How to do your first ever stick weld
Before you can (or should) take on a project it’s best that you get a bit of practice in. If you do this poorly it’s incredibly easy to completely screw up your base metal. Using a T-shaped joint we will discuss the ways to weld 2 pieces of metal together.
Prep correctly
It’s surprisingly easy to weld through corrosion, rust, oil and dirt, but it’s always best to do your best to clean the metals off first. Prepping your metal first simply requires that you wipe the surface that you’re welding off with a clean rag, as well as grind the sides of metal that you’ll be welding. After doing this, make sure you secure the metal that you’ll be welding.
Connect your leads
To make a connection, it’s important to connect your leads as well as ground the metal you’re going to be welding. If you’re welding old, dirty metals make sure to sand the connection areas so they’re conductive. This varies with the electrodes you’ll be using but also make sure to set the amperage. Companies print the recommended amperage range directly on the side of the box. If you don’t know the amperage you should start with just pick something in the middle of what’s recommended.
Start the arc
It’s important to keep the direction of travel in your mind. Make sure that you’re comfortable and move the tip of the electrode close to the area you want to weld. After, you want to drop your welding hood and strike the arc by dragging the tip fo your electrode against the starting point of the metal quickly. Once the arc is fired up move it back to the proper arc distance. Arc distance is generally equal to the diameter of your electrode, which means that if it’s a .23 in electrode the tip of the electrode should be .23 inches from the metal you’re welding.
Video credits to TimWelds It explains the way to strike an arc.
Pick your angle
While you backhand the arc down the bae of your metal, you want to make sure you maintain the arc distance. Since the electrode is being consumed (and is consequently getting smaller) you will have to slowly move your rod in and maintain that arc distance. Also make sure to maintain a consistent angle such as 90 or 45 degrees. It also helps to split the difference by holding 60 degrees. Just make sure that you stay comfortable.
How fast should you travel
The speed and amperage of your weld should decide the speed with which your weld will pool. If you move too quickly, you’ll get less penetration of the base metal. But, if you move too slowly you can burn your metal and have a resulting overall weak weld. Practice is what helps you find the right tempo for your type of welding.
Undercut and thickness
Welds can be thickened by building up the bead through a zigzag or circular motion, which eases the puddle around. Make sure to watch the outside of the puddle to make sure it’s filling the base metal. If the puddle is too thick or enough heat isn’t being generated in the base metal, undercut will develop between the weld and base metal.
Follow the line
Work down your weld line while also considering your angle, speed, and distance. The majority of electrodes tend to burn in a minute. If you require more than one electrode just chip the slag, strike another arc and keep on going. Make sure to never start a weld over an already existing slag.
Video credits to Weld.com. It explains how to run a straight bead.
Clean your weld
If you plan on painting your weld, grinding it, or making it look better overall, clean your slag off with a brush. It helps to do this with a wire brush. When you’re performing practice welds it helps to do this so that you have an understanding of what to expect from your welds.
[thrive_headline_focus title=”5 of the best sites to visit for welding know how” orientation=”center”]
While we all know what we’re talking about when it comes to welding, it always helps to have others with as much(or more) know how than you. You’d be surprised at the wealth of information and knowledgeable people you can find online. These are the sites that we find have the most trustworthy information on all types of welding topics.
We can’t count the number of times that we’ve visited DIYnetwork’s website to check on a welding related topic. While their site doesn’t focus on welding they do tend to write some pretty helpful articles related to the topic. A must-see if you want to fact-check yourself on a welding topic.
Praxair is a widely known welding products sales place that also just so happens to know quite a bit about the nature of the business that they sell products for. They have a wide variety of informational articles on welding productivity, safety, gases, cutting etc.
If you want information on all types of different welding processes and equipment it’s a great idea to check welding tips and tricks’ site out. They have clear information Welding defects, How-To videos, and equipment reviews.
Weldguru is another site that makes it their business to know all they can about welding. The information their site has ranges from topics such as Soldering to Plastic Repair.
You can’t talk about welding tips without mentioning a brand like Miller. This is their main website where they talk about common welding issues and ways to prevent them as well as give access to great welding gear.
Tack welding is a temporary way to hold welding components together, making sure each component stays in the same position, maintains alignment, the same distance, etc. until you can finish welding. Tack welds are a great way to set up welds without using fixtures and are typically very short welds.
Tack welding is usually done using the same type of process used for the overall weld. An example of this would be the way electron beam tack welds (made with less power) are done for welds done with electron beam welding. Also, if the final weld is done while the pieces are still clamped in fixture tack welds are used to keep each element in place and help reduce the stress. of each component.
What are the Advantages of Tack Welding
Tack Welding offers several benefits such as those listed below.
Benefits of Tack Welding:
Tack Welding is relatively straightforward as there is very little need for fluxes or filler metal. Nor is there a large open flame.
It doesn’t take an incredibly large amount of skill to learn tack welding.
Video credits to Redwingsteelworks. He demonstrates what he says is the right and wrong way to tack weld.
What are the disadvantages of Tack Welding?
There is usually both an upside and downside to performing a particular action. Tack welding is no exception to this. below are a few of the disadvantages of tack welding.
The electrodes must be able to reach both sides of the metal being joined.
Warpage can occur at the part where the weld is being done.
The metal may be less resistant to corrosion.
Issues / Tips for troubleshooting tack welds
Many people think that tack welding is the easiest method of welding to learn. It isn’t. In fact, many people actually tack weld the wrong way, they just don’t know it. Many of the errors they perform on their welds don’t show at first. This is why many simply overlook the troubleshooting process when they do tack welds.
Below are 3 tips for troubleshooting your tack welds:
People often worry about the amount of tack they’re using on their welds. This is why many welders refuse to use enough tack on their welds, they simply let the tack rest on the top of their welds rather than forcing them to penetrate the weld. This is the main reason why many welders welds aren’t relatively strong at all.
If you don’t use enough heat to fuse both of the pieces of metal then your weld won’t stay. In fact, if you make adequate use of your clamps and make sure to place your tacks in the correct spots, then you won’t have to worry about whether or not you’re tacking too much.
If you think of your tacks as simple, quick welds then you likely won’t be able to penetrate your metal thoroughly. Just as in a normal weld, tacking requires penetration in order to really work. To make sure you fully penetrate your metal, you can make sure to weld in either a u-shaped or circular motion – which ensures that your welds end up being even. Just make sure to reach the goal of welding, which is to make sure that your welds stick.
Tip 2. How to handle warpage
Much like freezing water, when you heat metal the molecules expand. When the metal cools it then contracts in a place completely different place. This is one of the main reasons why it’s such a pain to weld metal at 90 degree angles. The metal changes every single time you apply high levels of heat to it.
When you want to avoid the effects of warping, you typically think that performing quick tacks will get the job done. This can actually do much more harm than it does good. Instead of doing this it makes much more sense to pay attention to the place where you place your tacks. To make sure that your tacks are solid make sure that they are placed evenly around the metal.
Tip 3. Remeasure after you clamp
Many think that performing a tack on metal will take away the need for clamping, that’s not the case. When you clamp instead of tack you can avoid the warping issue that tacking can cause on a weld. The benefit of clamping is that it can take away the chances of warpage affecting the weld itself. If you don’t clamp the metal, then it’ll likely move around while you weld which will result in error.
Keep in mind that the clamps won’t completely eliminate the shifting that occurs during a weld. You should always make sure to measure each side after tacking to make sure that you can catch issues early. If you do, then you can apply methods which will allow you to fix the weld. If you don’t check your measurements after tacking, then you won’t be able to know whether or not you’re placing them in the correct place which can result in an incorrectly placed weld.
In short, if you want to make sure that you’re tacking correctly perform the above actions and makes sure you tack, this will result in adequate welds that perform to your satisfaction.
What makes tack welding important?
Although tack welding is temporary it is still just as important as the main weld. Tack welding is important because it does the below things for the weld:
It makes sure pieces are aligned.
It maintains the joint gap
It contrasts and controls distortion and movement in welding
Many consider welding to simply be an activity that requires multiple pieces of metal to be joined together by some form of heat. This is typically true. The application of heat to metal allows them to have enhanced malleability which also allows them to be joined together in a single joint – don’t forget that when the heat is applied, one must also apply pressure to the pieces of metal to make sure that they are joined. Welding has been around for quite some time. Before it was known as the “welding” that we know it as it was called “forge welding” which basically meant that 2 pieces of metal were being joined together.
In short, forge welding required the welder to use an open flame to develop enough heat to make the metals that were meant to be welded malleable. Eventually, this method of welding began to die out. As energy sources were harnesses gas and electric welding methods were harnessed to keep the welders safer in the workplace. More tools than we care to think about have been created by welders. This is because of the wide applications that welding has in construction as well as in everyday life.
Welding is a process that has a wide variety of application to everyday life. It’s important to keep in mind that these applications also require that each of the welding processes be diversified.
As well as a few others. Below, we’ll go over each type of welding (the broad type) as well as a few subcategories.
What is Arc Welding?
Arc welding is a fusion process that uses an electric arc from power supply (either AC or DC) that creates a heat around 6500 degrees Fahrenheit which melts the metal at the joint. One can guide an arc mechanically or manually along the joint.
Metals used in arc welding react to the nitrogen and oxygen in the air when they’re heated to the degrees possible by the arc. To help prevent the negative effects of the reaction to the metal, a slag (protective shielding gas) is used to reduce the weld’s contact with the air. The weld is finished to once it cools and solidifies.
Video credits to Weld.com. It’s a very thorough introduction to arc welding.
Arc Welding sub-types
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What is Oxy-fuel Gas Welding?
Oxy-fuel welding is a blanket term uses to describe welding processes that use the combustion of both Oxygen and fuel to produce enough heat for fusion welding. Oxy-fuel processes entail the use of a flame (that’s produced near the end of the welding torch) to melt the parent metal with / without filler metal. The actual fuel and gas are placed inside of a chamber where they’re mixed (this chamber is a part of the welding torch.
With oxy-fuel welding you may relinquish a few of the benefits that you get with arc welding but, you receive some of the following benefits:
Welders get decent control over the heat input, filler metal addition, and temperature (all independently)
The flame chemistry can be altered from carburizing through neutral to oxidizing.
Equipment is relatively inexpensive and portable
Oxy-fuel Welding sub-types
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What is Resistance Welding?
Resistance welding is the process of joining metals through the application of pressure and a current for a period. The advantage of resistance welding is that one doesn’t need anything other than the materials used to create the weld (it’s an economical choice).
Resistance Welding sub-types
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What is Solid-State Welding?
Solid State Welding is a joining process that doesn’t have either a vapor or liquid phase. Not only that but it uses pressure and doesn’t have to use temperature. For solid state welding to take place the cohesive forces between atoms and metal are used.
In short, cold welding (aka contact welding) is a solid-state welding process that bonds 2 pieces of material together by applying pressure to them both. The pressure applied to the pieces of metal breaks up the oxide layers and allows the two pieces of material to stick to one another. You don’t have to worry about applying heat to or melting materials with cold welding.
Pros
Reduces the necessary skills for welding exotic metals
Makes it possible to join a number of metals that are dissimilar and would be otherwise difficult to weld
Gives a near perfect welding joint without brittle intermetallic compounds, microfractures, and other joint weaknesses
Eliminates most heat affected zone (HAZ) problems since there is no concentrated heat and because of this, no HAZ, from the welding arc
Is a perfect process for welding aluminum, especially in joining copper with aluminum, two metals that would typically be a challenge to join with other welding processes
Cons
It is difficult to weld irregular shapes, and the best results are gotten with flat surfaces
Difficult to achieve in industrial settings because of the debris that float in the air
Carbon steel and hardened metal can’t be cold welded, this only works with non-ferrous ductile metal like copper, gold, aluminum, lead, etc.
Surfaces must be cleaned pristinely; meaning that multiple steps of cleaning may have to be taken and the metal may have to be prepped
Surface irregularities, contamination, and nanoscale molecular structures can hurt the results
How does cold welding work?
When you have 2 pieces of material without a solid oxide layer, the atoms on the exposed sides of the materials collapse into one another. This is essentially how cold welding works. The union of the two materials can fail if they are in either a reactive or oxygen intense environment. For cold welding to be effective both surfaces must be cleaned thoroughly and free of contaminants.
Video credits to Cody’sLab. It demonstrates (or attempts to demonstrate) cold welding in a vacuum chamber.
For cold welding to work the two surfaces being welded must essentially be both clean and flat (anatomically so). The bond produced will be equal to the strength of the parent metal.
What metals can be cold welded?
Cold welding can only be used on non-ferrous metals or soft iron with no carbon content. The most common metals used for cold welding are aluminum and copper. However, there are other metals one can use such as:
Cold welding is typically used to weld wires together, especially between metals that are dissimilar. This method of welding is great when one is laying underground wires and there is the danger of flammable gasses catching fire from welding processes that are heat inducing.
On top of this, this method of welding is used to seal containers that’re sensitive to heat, like containers with explosives for example.
Cold welding is generally used when heat will damage the product or may present a danger.
Requirements for cold welding
The main requirements for cold welding are prepping the joint’s geometry and a clean metal surface. Joint surfaces that are flat work best, so flattening any irregularities in the shape is what’s recommended.
The oxide layer and any other impurities can be removed by degreasing, wire brushing, or chemical or mechanical methods. There will typically be oil and grease on the surface of the metal that will have to be removed before wire brushing. This is necessary since the brush can force the impurities deeper into the metal. Thanks to the wire brush’s sharp bristles, soft metal like silver, gold, copper, aluminum, and many others are more susceptible to getting surface oils embedded below the surface.
After the oils are cleaned, one can continue to strip away the oxide layer itself. Varying with the metal, different brush types and bristle materials may be recommended. It’s always a good idea to check the metal’s specification sheet.
Is cold welding strong?
Colded welded joints are as strong as the parent metal if it is properly prepped. Joint strength varies with the metal’s properties. Unlike with other welding methods, cold welding joint strength can’t outperform the original metal strength.
Joint strength will be compromised if the joining surfaces aren’t cleaned sufficiently enough or are irregularly shaped. For typical cold-welding applications such as joining wire, the maximum bond isn’t very hard to achieve.
What are the possible weld joints?
Because cold pressure welding is best done on large contact surfaces, it’s best to use lap and butt joints.
Butt welds are typically used when welding pipes and wires together. This is because it’s simple to trim the ends, put clean metal onto the contact surface, and press the two wires together.
When you’re making a butt weld, the distance between the clamping points and the contact surface should not be too large since soft metals can always bend sideways rather than join together.
Cold lap joints can be tricky. By pressing sheet metal together you’ll reduce the thickness of it because of the applied pressure. Meaning that one should account for at least a 50 percent thickness when you’re prepping the project. Without that, the final part won’t meet the requirements of the project.
The project may be perfect, but the thinned part isn’t acceptable. One should consider the metals softness and ductility and perform a few test welds to determine the thickness that will occur as a result.
Machines that cold weld and can join wires
Cold welders are hand operated for wires with small diameters. But larger diameters need a pneumatic or electric-pneumatic operation. Many of these machines are portable and can handle strips, wires, and rods.
Making use of an air hydraulic intensifier, cold welders generate extreme pressure. On the operator’s side, there is a welding head. This is located on the top of the machine and serves to accept a welding die, control the applied pressure, and offer stability.
Once the die is placed and secured into the die pocket, rods/wires are then fed in on both sides. By applying pressure, one will cause the die to grip the wires near the endpoints and to push them tightly together. As a result of this, small impurities that remain on the wires cross-section surfaces are squeezed outwards from their cores. This is why cold-welding wires will create a better joint bond than when welding sheet metal. This is mainly due to the wires having a small joining surface area unlike with sheet metal.
Pressure is applied at least 4 times to get rid of all the impurities. This is considered the multi upset principle. Once the wires have bonded, one can remove them from the machine while chipping away the residue from around the joint area.
Hot welding vs Cold welding
Hot welding methods involve the use of an electrical arc, an active flame, or internal resistance to melt and meld the metal. Cold welding is better suited to specific applications and non-ferrous metal, while hot welding can be used for many more things.
Which metals can be cold welded?
The metals that can be cold welded include 70/30 brass alloy, silver alloys, silver, nickel, lead, zinc, aluminum, copper, gold and platinum. This method can also weld 7xxx and 2xxx series of aluminum alloy. These types of metals can’t be fusion welded because they will likely crack when under heat, and they are hard to weld together with welding methods outside of cold welding.
It’s impossible to cold weld carbon steel or any other metal that contain carbon. This will limit the cold-welding application because carbon steel is welded far more than most other metals.
Cold welding will work best with metals that have a face-centered cubic arrangement of atoms that won’t harden quickly. All of the metals that harden quickly tend to crack under the pressure felt when cold welding. This explains why only highly ductile metals can be cold welded.
The different methods of cold welding
There are only 3 similarly named methods, no different cold welding types.
JB Weld
There is a brand epoxy bonding system that’s used with metal, fiberglass, brick, and concrete named JB weld. It doesn’t actually create a weld between metals but it’s called the original cold weld formula.
Unlike with the cold-welding process, there is no interatomic attraction, and the metals don’t fuse to because a single homogenous mass.
JB weld works well to adhere metal, but the metals won’t be welded together. The product is a 2-component epoxy, base, and an activator. When this product is mixed and applied to metal parts one should secure them with clamps and start the curing process.
This method has a tensile bonding strength of 5020 PSI, which is compared to the typical E6010 stick electrode that has a 60,000 PSI bond strength.
This is no substitute for an actual weld unless you plan on making small repairs around the house.
Cold Metal Transfer
CMT or Cold Metal Transfer is a fusion welding process that makes use of a welding arc to make a joint. It’s often improperly titled cold welding. CMT is a MIG welding process that needs about 90 percent less input of heat than regular MIG welding processes.
Because this arcwelding process is so “cold” it has solved many problems like with the actual cold welding process.
CMT shouldn’t be mistaken for cold welding though, as it uses an electrical arc, filler metal wire, and it can be used with metal with which cold pressure welding isn’t an option. CMT relies on a precise filler wire retraction arc initiation to control the heat input.
Because only a robot is able to do this, it isn’t economical if cold pressure welding is a viable option.
TIG Cold Welding
As with CMT, TIG cold welding is of no relation to the method of cold pressure welding. There are some TIG welding machines that have a cold setting that limits the heat input. It does so by applying an electric arc to a small spot for a fraction of a second.
Temperature is minimal since any generated heat will dissipate quickly, especially with metals that are highly conductive like aluminum.
This is especially useful when one is welding thin sheets of wires and metal. One could achieve something similar with an advanced TIG welder by using the pulse settings.
You will achieve low heat TIG weld by setting a low pulse current and a high time dilation between the pulses. Low heat isn’t always good enough, so if cold pressure welding is an option, it will produce a better joint.
History of Cold Welding
Cold welding started in the Bronze Age, around 700 BC but back then it wasn’t anywhere as sophisticated as it is today. Archaeologists have excavated a number of utensils and tools from that time period that were made using an older cold welding process.
The first documented scientific experiment on cold welding was done in 1724 by Reverend J.T. Desaguilers. He found that if he pressed and twisted two lead balls together, they would make a solid joint. He then tested the bond strength on a steelyard with positive results.
The next notable point in history was the second World War when light alloy aircraft parts were made using cold welding in Germany. As industry made progress, cold welding became more advanced and became what is today a well understood process used in specialized settings.
Welding is commonly used to form a bond between 2 dissimilar materials (however, that isn’t always the case). There are forms of welding that bring materials to their melting points and uses filler metals to form a bond between them. The finished weld, once fully done will blend to be just as strong as the parent metal. Brazing on the other hand, uses a filler metal (alloy) to form a bond between two pieces of metal. Brazing is typically used to form a bond between dissimilar metals such as copper, silver, gold, and aluminum. Flux (a material that’s used to promote wetting) is also used during welding. It cleans parts of the oxides so the filler is able to bond more tightly to the metal parts.
Welding
What is Welding?
Welding joins metals by (typically) using high heat to form a bond between 2 materials (typically some form of metal). As the type of welding varies so will the use of shielding gas and consumable.
Video credits to Kevin Caron, Artist. It discusses how to choose the right shielding gas.
Some forms of welding use filler metals to form bonds between 2 materials (again, usually metal). Each of the forms of welding falls into their own separate categories as well.
Welding is an activity that’s vital to our infrastructure. Welding, unlike other metal joining processes typically melts the base materials together. Typically, a filler material is used inside of the joint which forms a pool of molten material which hardens to form a joint that can be stronger than the parent metal.
Automotive: Since MIG welding is typically used to deliver incredibly powerful bonds between thin metals and is ideal for joining sheets of metal on manufacturing lines.
Aerospace: MIG Welding, Plasma Arc Welding, and Electrical Resistance Welding are all used in the Aerospace Industries. MIG Welding is used to build aircraft while PAW and Electrical Resistance Welding are used for joining sheeting and precision work.
Construction and Infrastructure: MIG Welding, Plasma Arc Welding, and Flux Cored Welding are all used in construction and infrastructure. MIG Welding helps join non-ferrous metals and steel in the construction industries. Flux Cored Welding is also used alongside Plasma Arc Welding.
Manufacturing: Because MIG Welding is known for its cost-effectiveness and speed which makes it great for high-output manufacturing.
Railroads: Shot Welding, and innovative form of spot welding is used for the effective fusing of steel.
Shipping: Welding is used in the development of most ships, from large tankers to cargo ships / aircraft carriers.
industries.
Brazing
What is Brazing?
Brazing is a metal joining process where metals are joined together by melting / flowing filler metals into a joint. The filler metal used in brazing has a lower melting point than that of the parent metals.
Brazing doesn’t melt the adjoining metals used in welding. The filler metals flows into the gaps left between the close-fitting parts via capillary action. It is then brought slightly above its melting temperature while also being protected by a suitable atmosphere. This filler metal then flows over the base metal and is cooled to join both pieces together.
Furnace Brazing: Furnace brazing is a semi-automatic process that’s typically used in industrial brazing operations because of its adaptability to be used for mass production and ability to be used by unskilled labor. A few advantages of furnace brazing are:
It can produce large numbers of small parts easily
It offers a controlled heat cycle and no need for post braze cleaning.
Vacuum Brazing: Vacuum brazing is a joining process that yields various advantages. For example it offers extremely clean, flux free, superior braze joints.
Silver Brazing: Silver Brazing is brazing that uses a silver alloy-based filler.
Dip Brazing: Dip brazing is well suited or brazing aluminum since air is excluded, which prevents oxides from being formed.
Braze Welding: Braze Welding usually requires more heat than brazing does which is why it typically uses Acetylene or Methylacetylene-Propadiene gas fuel.
Torch Brazing: Torch Brazing is a method of mechanized brazing that’s best used in small production volumes. The 3 categories of torch brazing are: automatic, machine, and manual brazing.
How to make sure the surface area is clean during brazing?
When you’re welding you want to make sure that your surface area is clean. The good thing about welding is that the surface area is cleaned by the heat that you produce when you start the welding process – so you don’t need to worry about that too much. However, when you braze you produce less heat so you need to worry more about the cleanliness of the surface area you weld on. The contaminants that aren’t cleaned off of the surface area form into a layer on top of the weld that often turns into a hardened layer that will get in the way of the bonding process.
Video credits to Lucas-Milhaupt. It discusses how to clean the surface of metals.
According to the AWS (American Welding Society) a groove weld is a weld on a work piece surface, between work piece edges, between work piece surfaces, or between work piece edges and surfaces. The actual weld groove is a channel in the surface of the work piece or an opening between two joint members providing space to contain weld metal. There are 9 types of single grooves welds and 7 types of double groove welds. All groove welds – other than square and flare groove welds – require metal to be removed from either one or both faces of the work-piece.
What is G in welding?
When referring to welding position, a number is used to discuss the actual position and an F or G is used to discuss whether it’s a Fillet (F) or Groove (in this case and G) weld. For a better understanding look to the information below:
Flat Position: Is referred to using the number 1 and depending on whether it’s a Fillet or Groove Weld is categorized as 1F or 1G
Horizontal Position: Is referred to using the number 2 and depending on whether it’s a Fillet or Groove Weld is categorized as 2F or 2G
Vertical Position: Is referred to using the number 3 and depending on whether it’s a Fillet or Groove Weld is categorized as 3F or 3G
Overhead Position: Is referred to using the number 4 and depending on whether it’s a Fillet or Groove Weld is categorized as 4F or 4G
So, G refers to Groove weld in welding.
What are the types of groove joints?
The different types of groove joints can be single (meaning one side of the joint only) or double (meaning both sides of the joint). The different types of groove joints are:
V-groove
J-groove
U-groove
Scarf
Square Groove
Flare V-Groove
Flare Bevel Groove
How is a weld groove structured?
Groove welds are made of an arrow line, reference line, a tail, Weld procedure specifications, and a groove weld symbol. Despite popular belief, groove weld symbols can be much more complicated than fillet weld symbols are. Another thing to keep in mind is that groove welds can also be combined with fillet welds.
What are groove welding symbols?
Much like all other weld symbols the reference line of a groove weld is drawn horizontally; it contains all of the weld type information and connects the arrow line as well as the tail. The bottom of the reference point on the groove weld is called the arrow side. The tail of the weld is an optimal element and is where the information for the weld is located.
The rot opening of the weld is used to provide access for the welding electrode as well as improves the penetration of the weld on the work pieces. In instances where the weld gap is insufficient to penetrate the work piece they are angled. One will also only find a bevel in the work piece when it is angled.
What are Groove Welds used for?
Corner Welding Joints
There are a number of corner welding joints. This is one of the most popular welding joints in the sheet metal industry and are used on the outer edges of the piece. This joint comes together between 2 pieces of metal at a right angle to make an L. They’re typically used when making box frames and boxes.
The types of groove joints used to create corner joints are:
V-Groove Weld
U-Groove Weld
Bevel Groove Weld
J-Groove Weld
Flare-V-Groove Weld
Square-Groove Weld
Edge Welding Joint
Edge welding joints are typically applied to sheet metal parts with flanging edges or are placed at a location where the weld must be made to attach to adjacent pieces.
The types of groove joints used to create edge welding joints are:
Bevel-Groove weld
J-groove weld
Square-groove weld
V-Groove weld
U-Groove Weld
Lap Welding Joint
Lap welding joints are used to join 2 pieces with differing thicknesses. A weld can be made on both sides of the metal with lap welding joints. Lap joints are formed when 2 pieces are placed in an over lapping pattern on top of each other.
J-Groove
Flare-bevel groove weld
Bevel-groove weld
Tee Welding Joint
Tee welding joints are formed when two members intersect at 90 degree angle which results in the edges coming together in the center of the plate / component.
The types of groove welds used to create tee welding joints are:
Bevel – groove weld
J-groove weld
Flare-bevel groove weld
Butt Welding Joint
Butt joints are a universally accepted method for attaching pipes to themselves. Butt Welding Joints are also called square groove welds and are known to be the easiest / most common weld. It’s made of two flat pieces that are placed parallel, side by side.
The types of groove joints used to create butt joints are:
When we say the word “fusion” we mean the process of applying pressure to 2 distinct pieces of metal to the point that they are one thing. Basically, fusion welding occurs when you weld metals of the same make and same melting points. Fusion welding doesn’t always require the use of filler material either.
Where is fusion welding used?
Usually, fusion welding is done in construction areas on bolts and rivets. When you fusion weld you are heating the pieces of metal until it’s molten and then you allow them to cool until they solidify. Fusion welding can be separated / categorized by it’s being a consumable or non – consumable electrode method.
What are fusion welding processes?
There are a few fusion welding processed. They can all be categorized according the levels of heat they use (and whether they’re consumable or non-consumable electrode processes) such as:
Electric Arc
Gas
Electrical Resistance
High Energy Density
What are the arc welding processes?
Arc welding is a welding process that’ used to create a bond between 2 metals. Arc welding occurs when an electric arc from either a DC or AC power supply creates an intense heat of around 6500 degrees Fahrenheit. Below are the Arc welding processes.
Shielded Metal Arc Welding
What is Shielded Metal Arc Welding?
Shielded Metal Arc Welding is also known as manual metal arc welding, stick welding, or flux shielded arc welding. It’s suitable for welding both non-ferrous and ferrous metals in all positions. However, it’s typically used to weld materials such as Iron and Steel for maintenance and repair industries and construction of heavy steel structures. SMAW electrodes are made up of a stick or a solid metal rod surrounded by compounds and metal powders with bonding agents that help bind the metals to the surface.
SMAW is one of the most popular (and earliest) welding processes because of it’s versatility and simplicity.
Video credits to Weldnotes.com. It goes over what Shielded Metal Arc Welding is.
Metal Inert Gas Welding and Metal Active Gas Welding
What is Metal Inert Gas Welding?
Metal Inert Gas Welding is a welding process where a solid wire electrode is fed through a welding gun directly into a weld pool to join two base metals together. Shielding gasses are then used to protect the weld pool from environmental contaminants such as oxygen.
MIG welding allows everyday people such as artists, hobby welders, farmers, ranchers, motor-sports enthusiasts, and DIY welders to perform welds on metals up to 1/2 inches thick.
Tungsten Inert Gas Welding
What is Tungsten Inert Gas Welding?
Tungsten Inert Gas welding (aka Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) is a welding process that uses a non-consumable electrode (made of tungsten) to deliver the current to the arc. Both the electrode and weld puddle are protected / cooled with an Argon shielding gas (usually). TIG welding also uses a filler material for reinforcement.
Video credits to Weldnotes.com. It goes over what TIG welding is.
Plasma Arc Welding
What is Plasma Arc Welding?
Plasma Arc Welding is a process similar to TIG welding. The electric arc in PAW is formed between an electrode (typically made of sintered tungsten) and the metals being worked on. In Plasma Arc Welding the plasma arc can be separated from the shielding gas envelope. The plasma is then forced through a fine bore copper nozzle, constricting the arc, and the plasma exits the orifice at velocities that approach the speed of sound.
Video credits to Skill Lync. This video explains what Plasma Arc Welding is.
Submerged Arc Welding
What is Submerged Arc Welding?
Submerged arc welding is a welding process that requires a metal core electrode. Both the weld (which is molten by this point) and arc zone are protected from contaminants by being submerged under a blanket granular fusible flux made of manganese oxide, lime, silica, and calcium fluoride. When the flux is molten it becomes conductive and provides a path between the work and the electrode. The thick layer of flux covers the molten metal which prevents spatter and sparks while also suppressing the intense UV radiation and fumes that are an integral part of the SAW process.
Video credits to xAZEZELx13. This video explains what Submerged Arc Welding is.
Flux Core Arc Welding
What is Flux Core Arc Welding?
Flux cored arc welding is a semi-auto welding process that uses a continuously fed consumable electrode which contains a flux and constant voltage (or constant current welding power supply). Externally supplied shielding gasses are used occasionally but more often than not the flux is relied upon to generate a shield from the atmosphere, which produces both gaseous protection and liquid slag protection for the weld.
fun fact: because of it’s high welding speed and portability flux-cored arc welding is often used in construction.
Video credits to Weldnotes.com. It goes over what Flux Core Arc Welding is.
What are the gas welding processes?
Gas welding is a welding process that uses gases and oxygen to weld metals together. There are a few names for gas welding but the most common are oxy welding and oxyacetylene welding. Types of gas welding processes are:
Oxy-Gasoline Welding
When fabrication costs are an issue pressurized gasoline is used a welding fuel. Gasoline torches are sometimes considered more effective for torch-cutting thick steel plates.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding
What is Oxy-Acetylene Welding?
Oxy-Acetylene welding uses a mixture of acetylene gas and oxygen gas to feed the welding torch. Oxy-Acetylene welding is actually considered the most common gas welding technique. The mixture of oxygen and acetylene gasses is known to produce the highest temperature of the available fuel gasses (it’s also one of the most expensive fuel gasses).
Video Credits to We Build Stuff. It’s an intro to Oxy-Acetylene Welding.
MAPP Gas Welding
What is MAPP Gas Welding?
MAPP Gas Welding (or Methylacetylene-propadiene-petroleum) is a gas mixture that’s considered more inert than other typical gas mixtures. This also coincidentally makes it safer for recreational or hobby welders to use.
Video credits to CNC TopNet. It gives an example of MAPP Gas Welding.
Butane / Propane Welding
What is Butane / Propane Welding?
Butane and Propane can be used both separately and together as fuel gasses. Both butane and propane have a lower flame temperature than acetylene but are also less expensive and easier to transport than acetylene.
Propane torches, when used by themselves, behave a bit differently than Butane. Propane torches are also used for bending, soldering, and heating. They also require a different type of torch tip because propane is a heavier gas.
Video credits to my tech trials. It discusses Butane torch brazing, soldering, and welding.
Hydrogen Welding
What is Hydrogen Welding?
Hydrogen gas welding is a welding process that generates welding heat by passing hydrogen through an electric arc that’s between two inclined electrodes. Hydrogen welding can be done at higher pressures than other fuel gas welding processes, which makes it better-suited for underwater welding. The heat produced during hydrogen welding is considered to be enough to efficiently weld Tungsten (3,422 degrees Celsius), which is the most refractory metal.
The hydrogen also acts as a shielding gas which prevents both oxidation and contamination from nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen. It also takes away the need of a flux for environmental shielding.
Video credits to Habibur Rahman. It discusses hydrogen welding.
What are the Electrical Resistance welding methods?
Electric Resistance Welding is a term used to group a number of welding processes that produce coalescence of faying surfaces where the heat to form the weld is generated via the electrical resistance of the materials and the time and force that’s used to hold both materials together while welding taking place. Factors that influence the heat / welding temperatures are:
Metal coating or lack thereof
Electrode materials
Electrode geometry
Electrode pressing force
Electrode current
Length of welding time
During electrical resistance welding small pools of molten metal are formed at the point of most electrical resistance and the same time an electrical current is passed through the metal.
Spot Welding
What is Spot Welding?
Spot welding is a form of resistance welding where two or more sheets of metal are welded together without using any filler metal. The welding process requires the use of pressure and heat to the weld area using shaped alloy copper electrodes which convey an electrical current through the weld pieces. As the material melts the parts are fused together. At this point the current is turned off and pressure from the electrodes is maintained and the joint is formed.
The heat used in spot welding is generated via an electric current which is transferred to work pieces via copper alloy electrodes. Copper is then used for the electrode as it has a high thermal conductivity and low electrical resistance compared to other metals. This ensures that the heat generated is generated in the work pieces rather than the electrodes.
The amount of heat generated depends entirely on the electrical resistance and thermal conductivity of the metal (and the time the current is applied). The equation used to express the level of heat generated is:
Video credits to Jeffrey Santo. It discusses basic spot welding.
Seam Welding
What is Seam Welding?
Seam Welding (aka Resistance Seam Welding) is a type of spot welding that uses motor driven wheels rather than stationary rods. Seam welding is est used for sheet metal fabrication since it passes an electrical current through the sheets of metal to be joined while they’re being held together via a mechanical force in a lap configuration between shaped copper electrodes. Fusion of the two metals occurs where the sheet metal surfaces touch one another – this is the point of highest electrical resistance as well as the point where the heat generation is highest.
Another form of seam welding is the consumable wire resistance seam weld. The difference between this and regular seam welding is that the electrode wheel is grooved so that a shaped copper wire can be placed between the material you’re trying to join and the wheel. Copper wire is then fed from a spool and passed around the electrode wheel at welding speed before it’s discharged into a scrap container. This makes sure the clean, uncontaminated surface is presented to the work.
Consumable Wire Resistance Seam Welding is highly reliable and achieves welding speeds of well over 70 meters per minute.
Video credits to Poor Man Mods. It shows how to seam weld.
Low-Frequency Electric Resistance Welding
What is Low-Frequency Electric Resistance Welding?
A Low-Frequency Electric Resistance Welded pipe is one that’s manufactured via cold-forming a sheet of steel in a cylindrical shape. The electrical current is passed between 2 edges of steel to heat the steel to a point where the edges are forced to form a bond between one another without using filler material. This welding process has become antiquated however and has been replaced by high frequency electric welding process.
Video credits to Rishika Janaki. It gives fun facts about low-frequency resistance welding.
Flash Welding
What is Flash Welding?
Flash Welding is a type of resistance welding process that doesn’t use any sort of filler metal. Pieces of metal are set apart at a distance based on their composition, thickness, and the desired properties of the weld once finished. A current is applied to the metal, and the gap between both metals creates resistance and subsequently creates an arc (which is required to melt both metals). Once both metals reach the required temperature they are pressed and forge welded together.
Resistance Projection welding is a type of resistance welding that uses concentrates force, electricity, and time on projections (raised segments) to join pieces together. RPW can force welds to occur in very tiny, specific locations while also minimizing the dissipation of heat to other metal sheets.
RPW (or Resistance Projection Welding) is typically used in the auto industry, where screw fastener parts (nuts and studs) are joined to metal sheet components. One can also find Resistance Projection Welding in bar and cross wire welding.
Video credits to Supinder Singh. It shows Projection welding for cross welding.
Upset Welding
What is Upset Welding?
Upset Welding or Resistance Butt Welding is a welding process that merges either the entire surface of 2 nearby surfaces or progressively along a joint, via the heat from the resistance to the electric current through the area where those surfaces are in contact. Pressure is then applied before the heating of the metals is started and maintained during the heating period.
Upset welding uses the similar equipment to that used during flash welding and can only be done if the metals being welded are equal in cross-sectional area. The abutting or nearby surfaces must also be prepped carefully to make sure they’re ready to be heated properly. The difference Upset Welding has with Flash Welding is that the parts are clamped in the welding machine and force is applied which brings them tightly together. A high amperage current is then passed through the joint which heats the surfaces. When the heat s suitable for forging an upsetting force is applied and the current is applied. The high temperature of the work at the abutting surfaces plus the high pressure causes coalescence to take place.
Video credits to Maneklaxports. it shows an upset butt welding machine.
What are the High Energy Density welding processes?
High Energy Density Welding is made of welding processes that utilize heat sources capable of proving extremely high-power-density weld input levels. The density of the energy available from a heat source for welding is oft more important than the absolute source energy. Two of the major types of high energy density welding processes are Laser Beam Welding and Electron Beam Welding. Both of these welding processes use a high intensity beam as the heating source for the weld in which the energy from the source is highly concentrated by electromagnetic or optical lenses.
Electron Beam Welding
What is Electron Beam Welding?
Electric Beam Welding is a fusion welding process that uses a beam of high velocity electrons to join materials. The kinetic energy of the electrons is transformed into heat upon impact on surface of the working material. The work-piece and (possibly) filler metal, if used, melts to form a part of the weld. The welding is often done in conditions of a vacuum to prevent dispersion of the electron beam.
Most metals can be welded with electron beam technology, but the most common are:
Superalloys
Reactive and Refractory Metals
Stainless Steels
Electron Beam Welding isn’t limited or controlled by thermal conduction. This allows metals to be welded to one another using high thermal conductivity, or joint designs with asymmetric heat transfer characteristics.
Video credits to Engineer’s Academy. It discusses Electron Beam Welding.
Video credits to EB industries. It goes over the differences between Laser Beam and Electron Beam Welding.
Laser Beam Welding
What is Laser Beam Welding?
Laser Beam Welding is a welding process that joins pieces of metal / thermoplastics by using lasers. The laser beam is a concentrated heat source that allows for the creation of deep, narrow welds as well as high welding rates. This welding process has been automated in several industries such as the automotive industry.
Have you had a welding machine at your home for years and have been wondering what you’re going to do with it? Are you considering purchasing a welding machine for household repairs but don’t know what method of welding you’re going to use to do them? Well, you have quite a few options, but the most feasible would likely be either spot or seam welding. Both of these forms of welding occur when one applies pressure to both of the pieces of metal that they’re seeking to weld together. Both of these forms of welding are considered resistance welding because of the application of an electric current that is sent through both of the sheets of metal which creates heat; this also fuses the 2 pieces of metal together.
What is Spot Welding?
If you’re looking for a method of welding that will allow you to quickly fuse 2 pieces of metal together spot welding will likely be the process that you’re looking for. It’s typically the welding process that people use if they are considering learning to weld for the first time. Spot welding is a method of welding that uses 2 pieces of copper electrodes which are what are used to generate the heat necessary to begin the weld.
Spot welding is great if you’re seeking to weld pieces of metal between the widths of .5 to 3 mms. Spot welding is also typically used to weld sheet metal and wire mesh. The great thing about the process is that it doesn’t require a shielding gas for it to work. On top of that you can use either a special Spot welding machine – we have a guide for them here – or you can use a MIG welder that’s equipped with a kit.
Video credits to Pro Spot International. It discusses the resistance spot welding process.
What are the advantages of spot welding?
Spot welding yields a number of benefits to those who decide to perform it. Lifted below are a few of the benefits of spot welding.
It’s one of the most efficient platforms for welding small pieces of metal to one another.
Doesn’t require filler metal or fluxes.
Doesn’t take a lot of time to learn nor does it require an profound understanding of the activity to perform.
Welders don’t use open flames in spot welding.
Spot welding can weld pieces of metal that are as thin as .25 inches thick.
Spot welding can be used to weld metals through both a manual and automatic method.
Spot welding can weld multiple metals at a single time.
What are the disadvantages of spot welding?
Nothing that yields an advantage neglects to yield a disadvantage (that’s a truth of life). Spot welding is no exception. Below are a few disadvantages native to spot welding.
You’ll need to use a different form of welding for thicker metals because it works best with thin metals.
Spot welding is typically used in a number of industries including aerospace, white goods, rail, metal furniture, automotive, electronics, medical building, and construction. It’s commonly used in places that require high automation since it’s very easy to combine it with robots and manipulation systems.
What is Seam Welding?
If you want to weld small spots but still want to produce sturdy welds seam welding is probably the best route for you to take. A seam weld is produced when both heat and pressure are applied to a joint on 2 pieces of metal. The 2 common types of seam welds are Fillet and Butt Joint welds.
Seam welds use rotating electrodes which are the primary ingredient in producing the solid rolling resistance weld. A cool thing about seam welding is that it can be done with both TIG and MIG welding machines. Despite of it being known for being used for smaller surface areas, it’s also great for when you want to weld large pieces of metal.
Video credits to TechTrixInfo. It goes over how seam welding works.
What are the advantages of seam welding?
Seam welding also yields several benefits such as those listed below:
It produces much less overlap than spot welding does
Seam welding produces welds at incredibly fast speeds and, because it’s entirely automatic is much faster than spot welding.
Seam welding doesn’t require the use of flux or filler material.
Seam welding produces airtight and watertight seals. The benefit of this is that it helps to create metal structures that need either air or water leakage protection.
What are disadvantages of seam welding?
You can only weld in straight lines and uniformly curved lines when you’re seam welding
Seam welding can be a challenge when what you’re welding is too thick (it can be a pain to seam weld when you’re welding a single sheet that’s more than 3 mm thick).
Where is seam welding used?
Seam welding also finds itself being used in a number of areas. For example, seam welding is sometimes used in places that require air-tight seals such as in the assembly of fuel tanks. Seam welding is also used to weld pipes and tubes because it doesn’t use any fusion metals which means there are no weld beads that may ruin the aesthetics of the pipes / tubes.
Seam welding is also used to manufacture sheet metal tanks to contain gasoline, kerosene, and other fluids.
What’s the difference between spot welding and seam welding?
Spot welding is better utilized for welding materials that’re smaller and are overlapping. Spot welding has a manual mode while seam welding does not. Seam welding is great for welds that need an air-tight seal (remember that spot welds tend to not be the best overall. It’s also great for welds that must be continually done such as for placing strings of spot welds.
What good is a review of Welding Torches or Plasma Cutters if you don’t understand why you would need either of them in the first place?
Both of these pieces of equipment serve their own individual purposes, to cut metal. Before you go out to purchase it’s important that you make careful calculations that will allow you to make the most out of the equipment of your choice. Remember, both Plasma Cutters and Welding Torches have their own unique benefits, costs, and supplemental safety equipment that come along with using them.
How to choose whether to use a plasma torch or a welding torch?
Do you require a tool for only cutting or do you also require a tool for brazing, heating, or welding?
What types of metal do you typically cut?
What’s the thickest metal, you ever see yourself cutting with the tool?
Video explaining difference between Oxy-Acetylene Torches and Plasma Cutters
What is a Plasma Cutter?
To answer that question, we should know a bit about the material plasma. Plasma welding is a process that uses an ionized gas (or plasma / electricity or energy in an electricity neutral gas such as compressed air). The elements mentioned in the parentheses (electricity neutr.al gas and electricity) are forced through a nozzle and electrode which makes the (at this time just gas) become imbalanced and. into plasma.
When do you use a Plasma Cutter?
Choosing when. you use a plasma cutter (or the type of cutter you need) depends greatly on a few things such as:
Plasma Cutters are used to cut and gouge, on average materials with a thickness of an inch.
Benefits of Plasma Cutters / Using a Plasma Cutter
All that many understand about plasma cutters is that they cut metal; many don’t know that there are also a vast number of benefits to working with a plasma cutter.
The benefits of using a plasma cutter are:
They’re becoming more and more portable with improvements in inverter technology.
Are very precise with their cuts and require very little clean up (little slag and narrow kerfs)
When you use a plasma cutter under water there is very little heat exposure and very little noise.
Plasma cutters tend to cut quickly.
Plasma cutters can cut non-ferrous material such as cast-iron, aluminum, and stainless steel.
Plasma cutters tend to cut faster on thinner metals.
Disdvantages of using a Table Plasma Cutter:
The upfront investment of plasma cutters is a bit much relative to oxy-acetylene torches.
There are safety hazards associated with using a plasma cutter (as with anything)
What is Oxy-Acetylene Welding/Cutting?
Oxy-fuel welding is a process that uses a fuel gas to cut metals. It was first used in 1903 and was done by using a welding torch. In the process the flame temperature is increased using pure Oxygen which helps the metal you’re cutting melt locally.
For Oxy-Acetylene cutting in particular the torch is used to heat the metal up to what is called it’s kindling temperature. After that, an oxygen stream is trained to the metal, which burns it into a metal oxide and flows out of the cut as slag.
Benefits of Welding Torches?
The most common type of welding torch is the acetylene torch and it uses the a combination of oxygen and gas to develop the heat that will be used to cut the metal. There are several benefits to using an oxy-acetylene welding torch but the most reasonable one is the fact that they are incredibly portable and much less expensive than other equipment that’s used for cutting metal. The portable design of welding torches makes them incredibly versatile and gives them the ability to be used on a variety of different tasks that require metal working such as pipe fitting and motorcycle building.
Differences between Oxy-Acetylene Welding Torches and Plasma Cutters
Function of Plasma Cutters and Welding Torches
If you’re planning on using a welding torch you have to make sure you’re going to have the time you need to be able to cut properly. There is also a bit of preparation that comes into play when you’re using an oxy-acetylene torch, such as the preheating of the metal. You’ll also have to make sure that of things such as:
The gas you use (because the gas has a direct effect on the quality of the cut) is very important to pay attention to.
On the other hand, plasma cutters are able to cut through metals a bit more efficiently than welding torches do. This means the cut provided by plasma cutters is both faster and cleaner than that of a traditional welding torch. You also don’t have to worry about preheating a plasma cutter because of the hotter wave of heat that you’ll encounter when using them.
Prices of Plasma Cutters and Oxy-Acetylene Welding Torches
Depending on how active you are with your metal work, the prices of either of these tools will work fine. For example, if you tend to go through a decent amount of metal in a period then it makes sense to purchase a plasma cutter because of all of the savings you’ll receive. We don’t want to forget that with a plasma cutter you’ll be required to pay a bit more up front than you would with a torch (you would have to pay for things such as the gas). If you don’t cut as often as others a simple welding torch may be all you need to get going.
Here are the prices and relative specs of both plasma cutters and oxy-acetylene torches.
[table id=97 /]
*note: don’t compare each price side by side – this is just to give you an idea of the costs of each piece of equipment. And the number of products was chosen so you could have a broader view of the price of each product.
In conclusion, there are quite a few benefits to using either of these tools. The trick is to find the piece of equipment that will work for you both today and tomorrow. And as always, let us know if you have any questions.
